The eighth edition of the Pinkathon, India’s biggest women-only running event, was announced by its founder, actor and running enthusiast Milind Soman, at a press conference at Grand Hyatt hotel in the city.
Pinkathon aims to encourage an active lifestyle and overall fitness amongst women, create awareness about breast cancer and bone health and encourage first-timers to take up running as a habit. Since its foundation in 2013, over 2,75,000 women have taken part in Pinkathon in the last eight years across multiple cities .
Sharing the dais with an all-women panel on Tuesday, Mr. Soman said, “Women took to Pinkathon in a big way right from the start. The team learnt from every edition and every city. We wanted to understand what was stopping women from participating, and the responses helped create many new and exciting experiences.”
The panel accompanying Mr. Soman included Tahira Kashyap, a breast cancer survivor and awareness activist who is also actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s wife; Mr. Soman’s mother Usha, who is known for being a barefoot saree runner at the age of 81; Dipti Gandhi, a visually impaired runner; and Dhvani Jigar Shah, a young mother.
“Coming from a privileged background, it was hard for me to openly talk about my cancer, especially since it was cancer of the breast, a part highly sexualised in the Indian society. To imagine women not getting treatment due to the lack of awareness and hesitation is hard for me to digest, which is why I wanted to be a part of this initiative,” Ms. Kashyap said. “It is imperative for women to get regular check-ups and be informed about the symptoms and just talk about cancer, because it could happen to anyone.”
Over subsequent editions, events like a 100-day campaign, a 100-km run and India’s biggest women’s ultra marathon have been added to the initiative. Pinkathon day was celebrated for the second time this year at 176 locations in several countries across the world, with 25,000 people participating.
“Like the women of Pinkathon themselves, Pinkathon has become unstoppable and limitless. But this is just a small step towards a healthier and fitter society driven by women. There is a long way to go. But change is coming, the women of Pinkathon are awake, and they will not stop,” Mr. Soman said.
This eighth edition of Pinkathon will be held on December 15 at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex, he added.
